Game



. MASON AND R. A. DIXON.

GAME.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

0 o a .0 8 4 R m 0 O O o 0 T 0 o o mw m a L a V o 0 o N a O 0 II o o M o o 0 Q o c o o o 90 o 0 o 0 o o o 0 o o a o o 000 I. o 0 n c o o c o o o o o 0 o o c o oo o o UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES P. MASON AND RUSSELL A. DIXON, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application filed November 8, 1918. Serial No. 261,701.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that we, CHARLns P. MAsoN and RUssnLL A. Dixon, citizens of the United States, and residents of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Games; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to a game, or as it might be called, a war game, its object being to provide for the playing of the game between two or more different nations, and represent the movement of the troops, the capture of the same, the transportation of the same, and other usual movements in connection with warfare.

It comprises, generally stated, a game formed of a board having maps showing the countries at war and having a series of lines of holes indicating routes to be traveled by the troops, these lines of holes leading to the point of attack, and lines of holes extending between or across the series of attacking lines, and pins adapted to be placed in the holes. It also comprises certain other improvements, as hereafter more fully set forth and claimed.

The accompanying drawing is a plan view of a portion of the board showing the present European countries in warfare, as 1llustrative of the game. For example, there France (1) Germany Belgium Italy (4) England (5) Austria (6). In addition to this the ma 9 shows the neutral countries, Holland (7 witzerland (8) and Spain (9). Of the countries supposed to be at war, for instance, the first countries named, are the holes 10 representing the important cities which are made large enough to receive a number of pins 11 representing the troops encamped at those points. There are also a series of smaller holes 12 connecting or passing through these cities, or leading to the points of attack between the different countries. Extending between these series of lines and from important city to important city are a series of cross lines of holes 14:. Outside of the cities, the holes are intended to receive a single pin, each pin, for

example, representing one regiment, or a division, but at the cross points representing important cities, the holes are large enough to receive a cluster of pins indicating a number of regiments encamped at such points.

Thus the game may be played by the movement of the pins either being played in turn, each side having the privilege of movement of a certain number of regiments, each represented by a pin, or the game may be played by the throwing of dice indicating the number of regiments which each side is entitled to move at a time.

It is to be noted that the ma shows neutral countries and that over t ese neutral countries there, are no lines of pin holes. Thus these countries act as barriers to the travel of troops. It will be noted also that the map shows sea routes, for example, the line of pin holes extending from England to France, as at 15, or the line of pin holes 16 extending to the outer edge of the board, such as toward Spain, and intended to be carried entirely around that country to reach Italy, as shown in the line of pin holes 17. Also lines of pin holes 18 and 19 leading, say, from France or England, across the Atlantic.

l/Vhile different specific games maybe employed with the same board, we will indicate one game suitable for illustrating the possibilities. The pins are shown by dots, the holes by circles. The pins may be of different colors for the opposing players. In the drawing the entente allies troops are indicated by plain black dots, and those of the central allies are indicated by black dots with short radial lines projecting therefrom. Suppose that in playing the game, each country has its main cities garrisoned by a standing army. Let the opposing players each have the privilege in turn of moving a certain number of pins representing regiments or divisions alternately, say, for ex ample, five pins for each movement until they get to the frontier where the armies are op posing, for example, at the frontier between Germany and France, or Italy and Austria. Vhen the troops reach the frontier, by the throw of dice the opposing players will be able to move the number of regiments inclicated by the throw, for instance, for an ordinary throw, not double, a corresponding number of regiments can be moved, while for each double five regiments can be moved according to the number of the double. If double 6, there would be thirty regiments moved, and if double 2, ten regiments moved. By means of these regiments so moved, each party can capture troops, or can surround troops and so capture them, or can out-flank them and so capture them, according to the rules of the game. The game may under the circumstances be to capture the capital of any one of the opposing countries. In this warfare the movements of the different opponents are limited by the neutral countries, for instance, on the western front between Germany and France, by Switzerland and Holland by the fact that there are no routes passing through those countries.

In case of the sea routes, the ships can be represented by a certain number of pins, the U-boats by a certain number of pins, and if the U-boat has the throw and its pins in their movement contact with the ship, it takes it; whereas if the ship has the throw and its pins contact with one or more U- boats, it captures them.

The above is simply an illustration of the possibilities of the game, which provides for great variations in the operations and brings in the matter of transportation where the troops are distributed along several difierent routes to the frontier simply by alternate play of a certain number of pins. When the troops reach the front, there is the chance of the throw of the dice to indicate advance or retreat on the part of the players and capture of regiments or cities. Thus the game may be carried out in one or other field of operations, as desired, and may be played entirely as a game of chance with dice, or as a game of skill by the movement of troops. The game has also the advantage of being educational, for example, showing the principal cities in the countries, and the railroads between those cities, and the actual movement of both sea and land forces.

What we claim is 1. A game consisting of a board having marked thereon opposing countries and having holes formed therein, said holes being arranged in close spaced relationship for defining distinct continuous lines leading to points of attack, and other like continuous lines'of holes communicating with said first lines, and pins adapted to be placed in said holes.

'2. A game consisting of a board having marked thereon a map of opposing countries, and having formed therein lines of holes leading toward points of attack, and other lines of holes communicating with said first lines, said holes being arranged in close spaced relationship so as to define dis-' tinct lines representing routes of' travel of said countries, and pins adapted to be placed in said holes.

3. A game consisting of a board having marked thereon maps of opposing countries, and provided with a series of continuous lines of holes leading toward the points of attack, and pins adapted to be placed in the holes, and having maps of certain countries having-no holes.

4. A game formed of a board having a map thereon and having formed therein holes representing important cities adapted to receive a multiple number of pins, and having holes of smaller sizearranged in continuous lines communicating with said first holes each of said smaller holes adapted to receive only one pin, and pins adapted to be placed in the holes. 4

5. A game formed of a board having a map of different opposing countries with a series of pin holes arranged in close spaced relationship for defining continuous lines extending across these countries and having a series of pin holes arranged in like close relationship defining continuous lines extending across the portions of the map representing water and pins adapted to be placed in said holes.

In testimony whereof we, the said CHARLEs P. MASON and RUssnLL A. DIXON, have hereunto set our hands.

CHARLES P. MASON. RUSSELL A. DIXON.

H. B. BLAIR. 

